Means for producing alternating current by cathode-ray tubes.



A. MEISSNER.

MEANS FOR PRODUCING ALTERNATING CURRENT BY CATHODE RA Y TUBES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2| I915.

Patented Feb. 8, 1916.

3 SHEETSSHEETI FIG. .2

FIE; 2.

INVENTOI? A. MEISSNER. MEANS FOR PRODUCING ALTERNAUNG CURRENT BY CATHODE RAY TUBES. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2, 1915.

1,170,552.. r Patented Feb. 8, 1916.

A. MEISSNER. M EANS FOR PRODUCING ALTERNATING CURRENT BY, CATHODE RAY TUBES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2,1915.

Patented Feb. 8, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

M ATTORNEYS ALEXANDER MEISSNER,

0F BERLIN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO GESELLSCHAFT FUER DRAHTLOSE TELEGRAPHIE M. B. H., 015 IBERLIN,,GERMANY.

MEANS FOR PRODUCING ALTERNATING CURRENT IBY CATHDDE-RAY TUBES.

Specification. of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. a, rare.

Application filed June 2, 1915. Serial No. 31,736.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER MEISSNER, subject of the Austrian Emperor, and residing in Berlin, Germany, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements in Means for Producing Alternating Current by Cathode-Ray Tubes, of which the following is a full and clear specification, illustrated in the annexed drawings. The particular novel features of my 1nvention are pointed out more fully in the anare conducted to the indicating means.

. The subject matter of the present inven tion is an arrangement by which it becomes possible to simultaneously use the relay as an energy transformer for the received oscillations. This novel effect is brought about essentially by affecting the relay through periodic'electric impulses. A relay thus affected is particularly suited for receiving sustained undamped electric oscillations. If the periodic afi'ection occurs in the rhythm of a good audible tone it becomes possible to perceive the continuous oscillations in the form of a pure tone which is easily distinguishable from atmospheric disturbances. Consequently the relay thus afi'ected replaces the well known devices for receiving sustained oscillations of high frequency, such as for instance the ticker, or receiving by beats and the like,.which have heretofore been used for receiving such oscillations. Besides, the novel arrangement has the advantage of the tone produced being very pure and almost entirely independent of the unavoidable variations of thehigh frequency periodicity. Besides thisuse of this energy transformer it is capable of forinstance, it becomes possible by its apa similar way.

be obtained, because an effective transmisother uses,

plication in case of receiving singing sparks to remove interference by other stations.

The invention is particularly useful and effective when cathode ray relays are used which are provided vwith an incandescent cathode, an anode, and one or several auxiliary electrodes. Several attempts have been made before to affect gaseous detectors in However, no results could sion was not attainable and it was not pos sible to keep the periodical local energy from the indicating instrument, so that it was always heard in the telephone. The desired effect, on the other hand, is particularly satisfactorily obtained if a rela of the described character is used in con unction with a certain connection to the indicating circuit, by which the periodic auxiliary energy appears only at the actual time at which such high frequency energy is supplied to the entire arrangement which it is desiredto receive in the indicating instrument. The transmission of the low frequency auxiliary energy to the indicator is best prevented by interposing a loose inductive coupling between the relay and the indicator. By indicating instrument or indicator I mean telephones and telephone circuits or equivalent means'known in the art. This loose coupling only constitutes a small transmission resistance for high frequency currents, but a highresistance for low frequency currents. Thus'essentially onl the high frequencycurrents are transmiite and perceptible in the indicator owing to the transformation effected by the low lperi .od'icity auxiliary frequency. The periodic influence itself may be very simply brought about by supplying one of the circuits con nected to the relay, for instance, the one connected with the auxiliary anode, the socalled grid circuit, or the anode circuit, on

also the incandescent circuit, directly with alternatingor interrupted direct current, or by affecting these above named circuits suitably by such currents. The transforma tion then occurs in such form that when, for instance, undamped oscillations are received with the arrangement, the constant amplitude of the high frequency oscillations are so varied with the periodicity of the auxiliary current, that they form rising and falling trains of energy which correspond with the rhythm of the auxiliary current. In certain cases the-amplitudes may also be increased thereby; however, this is only a collateral issue, the principal feature being the transformation of the oscillations.

In the accompanying drawin s the new arrangement is shown in severa modifications in which- Figure 1 shows an arrangement in which an auxiliary alternating current is supplied 'to the incandescent circuit of the relay, and

in which the connection of the receiving instruments with the relay is effected by a closed oscillation circuit. Fig. 2 shows a modification in which interrupted direct current is superimposed to the filament current and this has an aperiodic connection between the relay and the indicating instruments. Figs. 3 and 4 show the use of a periodic auxiliary current in the anode circuit of the relay. Figs. 5 and 6 show the application of a periodic auxiliary current in the circuit of the auxiliary electrode. Fig. 7 shows the simultaneous effect of the periodic auxiliary current upon all circuits of the relay, and Fig. 8 shows a receiving arrangement for wireless telegraphy, in which. cathode ray tubes are also used in the detector circuit and for amplifying the low frequency impulses before they reach the receiver.

In Fig. 1, (1) is the tube of a periodic relay, (2) is the cathode, (3) the anode and (4) a grid-shaped auxiliary electrode, disposed between the cathode and anode. The receiving currents are conducted, for instance, from the antenna (5) through the inductive cou ling (6) to the relay by means of a circuit (2), which includes the cathode (2) and the auxiliary electrode a The currents are derived from the relay by means of circuit (8), which includes the anode (3) and the cathode (2) and the source of energy (9), in which case a small condenser (37 is located in shunt to the energy source (9) to permit the passing of the high frequency currents. The instruments for rendering perceptible the received high fre quency energy consists, for instance, of the detector (10) and the telephone (11), which latter is connected with the detector circuit through the blocking condenser (12).

The heating of cathode (2) of the relay occurs accordlng to Fig. 1 by means of an alternating current machine (13), which is coupled with the cathode heating circuit by means of a transformer (14). A regulating resistance (15) is provided in the secondary circuit of this transformer. The coupling of the detector circuit with circuit (8) is brought about by means of the closed oscillation circuit (16) coupled with circuit (8) by means of transformer (17 and with the detector circuit. by means of transformer 18). Besides, this circuit contains a tuning condenser (19). The operation of this aremanation of electrons occurs in the rhythm of the alternating current of generator (13), and therefore according to this rhythm the electric high frequency'oscillations are transferred from circuit (7) through the relay into circuit (8). During such transfer as has been pointed out at the beginning, the continuous oscillations are transformed into undulatingtrains of energy. This high frequency current thus transformed, and under certain circumstances even amplified, is

transferred into the closed oscillation circuit (16) through coupling (17) and thence into the detector circuit, as described above. In this latter circuit it is rectified by detector (10) and transformed into direct current impulses which are audible in telephone (11).

By the periodic heating current which flows through cathode (2), the otherwise constant direct current supplied by the 'source of energy (9) to the anode circuit (8) is varied so, that it pulsates in the rhythm of the periodic heating current. However, the circuit containing the indicating instruments isat the same time constituted so according to the present invention, that these impulses alone cannot be perceived, but only the tions transformed into impulses by means of the periodic auxiliary energy of generator (13). Thus, the tone effect of the auxiliary energy can be perceived in the receiving instrument only when simultaneously high high frequency oscillafrequency energy is supplied to the relay;

in other words, in this latter case only the signals of the transmitting station are heard in the form of tones. The means to attain this result consist in providing such means in or adjacent to the circuit containing the indicating instruments, that this circuit constitutes a high resistance for low frequency currents, whereas high frequency oscillations are readily permitted to pass. In the modification according to Fig. 1 for this purpose the closed circuit (16) is provided, which is tunedto the high frequency oscillations and the indicator circuit is coupled loosely by this circuit (16) with the relay circuits. This inductive loose coupling which is suited best for the purpose of high frequency selection. as has, been already mentioned, may be made in this case either between the relay circuit (8) and circuit (16), or also betweenthe latter circuit and the detector circuit. It is true, the low frequency impulses of circuit (8) will in this case still flow through the primary coil of transformer (17) but they are already so weak in circuit (16) that they cannot be perceived any more in the detector circuit.

Instead of heating the cathode by means *of supplying alternating current to the primary coil of this transformer, pulsating dinating current from rect current may be supplied to the transformer (14), which is furnished by battery (21) and the interrupter (22). To use interrupted direct current isparticularly convenient in case of small stations, because in this case an ordinary buzzer can be used.

Fig. 2 further shows a modified connection between the relay (1) and the detector circuit containing the telephone. In this modification the detector circuit is coupled conductively with the circuit (8) by means of a coupling coil (23).

In order to keep away from the telephone 1 the low frequency impulses occurring in circuit.'(8), a choking coil (24) is arranged in parallel to coupling coil (23). Moreover in the anode circuit two small condensers (25) "are arranged one oneach side of coupling coil (23). By this expedient two ways are produced for the current in the anode circuit ofwhich the on over choking coil (24) only conducts the low frequency impulses which cannot pass over the condensers (25), whereas the other way (23) (25) only conducts the transforms high frequency cunrents which find this way only a small resistance, whereas the path through choking coil (24) constitutes a great resistance for high frequency oscillations. In this manner, exactly like in the arrangement according to Fig. 1 a sustained tone corresponding to the periodicity of interrupter (22) is avoided. Thisarrangement accordmg shown in Fig. 1 is an aperiodic receiving arrangement. It is therefore well fitted for quickly finding frequencies of unknown wave lengths as well as undamped or damped oscillations v Instead of affecting relay (1) periodically through the heating circuit, it may be so affected also through one of its other using an alternating: current'at this point, a similar efiect is'produce as has been explained above, with regard to 'Fig. 1. Also in this case, as is shown in Fig. 4, the alter generator (26) may be superimposed 'upon to Fig. 2 in contradistinction to that affect a" direct current sup-- fected through its grid circuit (7). Fig. 5'

shows an arrangement to that efiect. The current of the alternating current generator in this case is transferred into circuit (7) by means of transformer (27 and a condenser (28) is arranged in shunt to the secondary coil of this transformer.

Another modification is shown in Fig. 6. In this form alternating current is superimposed upon grid circuit (7) by the secondary coil of transformer (29), whereas from the heating battery (20) by means of a po tentiometer (30) a certain potential is impressed upon grid (4). of transformer (29) is supplied with interrupted direct current, for instance, produced by buzzer (31) and battery (32): It is necessary placed in parallel to the secondary transformer coil for the passage of the received oscillations. The transfer of the transformed high frequency oscillations from circuit (8) into the detector circuit occurs in this case again by means of a closed oscillation circuit (16) which may be, for instance, directly connected with circuit (8); the loo'se inductive coupling between the relay and detector circuit in this case is effected by suitably coupling the two coils of transformer (18). In circuit (8) a choking coil (33) is provided for the direct current of battery (9); the high frequency osclllations reach the indicator circuit by way of condensers (4) by alternating current, as described, is-

The affecting of grid of particular advantage for the reason that already a very effective transformation of energy may be brought about with a comarriving already in groups-as also for sus-' tained oscillations,

as the case may be. Further,

it is'of course possible to periodically nected with the relay. F or instance, Fig. 7 shows an arrangement in which for each of the three circuits, grid circuit, heating circuit andanode circuit, a separate altererator v(9) shown inflFigs. 1 and 2. By

nating current generator (26), (26), (26) may be provided. These generators may be in this case The primary coil that the condenser (37) be,

simultaneously several circuits conreceiving circuit I iary means for affecting sald relay and S1116.

the described high frequency transformation may be used. -In this case, a receiving circuit (36) is coupled with the antenna (35) and tuned to the high frequency oscillations by means of condenser (38). To the binding posts (39) of narily the detector is connected, in the present case the above described high frequency transformer A is connected, which consists of the periodically affected relay (1). The high frequency currents transformed into low frequency impulses are then conducted to the receiving arrangement B. The latter may consist, for instance, of a cathode ray tube (40) which in this case acts essentially only as a rectifier instead of adetector, and a second cathode ray tube (41) connected with tube (40) by means of transformer (42); Tube 47 acts-as amplitier of the low frequency impulses furnished by tube (40).. Telephone (11) is in this case connected by a further transformer (43) with amplifier (47). Investigations with arrangements such as described above have shown that they are well apt to remove the effects of atmospheric disturbances, and also particularly interferences from other stations. The effect of atmospheric dis turbances canbe avoided in case impulses of a singing'spark transmitter are received by the present arrangement.

What I claim is 1. In a receiving arrangement for sustained high frequency electric oscillations,

the combination with a circuit for receiving said oscillations and an aperiodlc gaseous relay having an incandescent cathode, .an anode and auxiliary electrodes therebetween, an indicator, local source of energy for rendering said relay operative, and circuit connections between the relay and the receiving circuit and the indicator, of auxiliary means for affecting said" relay and said high frequency oscillations assing therethrough by periodical low equency current impulses, and means for preventing said impulses from affecting the indicator, except in combination with said high frequency oscillations. w

2. In a receiving arrangement for sus tained high frequency electric oscillations,

' the combination with a circuit for receiving said oscillations and an aperiodic gaseous relay having an incandescent cathode, an anode and .auxiliary electrodes therebetween, an indicator, for rendering said relay operative, and circuit connections between the relay-and the and the indicator, of auxilhigh frequency oscillations passing therethrough by periodical low frequency current this circuit to, which ordiresistance for dering saidrelay local source of I energy impulses, and means located between the relay and the indicator, having two current paths,- of which one constitutes a low re sistance for the low frequency current im; pulses, but a high resistance forhigh frequency oscillations, and the other path constitutes a low resistance for the high frequency oscillations affected by said low frequency impulses, but a high resistance for the low frequency impulses alone, said indicator being suitably connected with the latter path. q

3. In a receiving arrangement for. sustained high frequency electric oscillations. the combination with a circuit for receiving said oscillations and an aperiodic gaseous relay anode and auxiliary electrodes therebetween, an indicator, local source .of energy for rendering said relay operative, and circuit conhaving an incandescent cathode, an

nections between the relay and the receiving and means located between the relay and the indicator, having two current paths, of which one constitutes a low resistance for the low frequency current impulses, but a high resistance for high frequency oscillations, and the other path constitutesa low the high frequency oscillations affected by said low frequency impulses, but a high resistance for the low frequency impulses alone, suitably connected with the latter path, said lowv frequency impulses corresponding with the frequency of audible tones.

A. In a receiving arrangement for sustained high frequency electric oscillations, thecombination with a circuit for receiving said oscillations and an aperiodic gaseous relay having an incandescent cathode, an anode and auxiliary electrodes therebetween, an indicator, local source of ener for renoperative, and circuit connections between the relay and the receiving circuit and the indicator, of auxiliary means for affecting said relay and said high frequency oscillationspassing therethrough by periodical low frequency current impulses and a tuned high frequency oscillation circuit interposed between the relay and said indicator for preventing said low frequency vimpulses from affecting the indicator, ex-

cept in combination with said high frequency oscillations.

DB.- Im. ALEXANDER MEISSNER.

-Witnesses:

WOLDEMAR HAur'r, I'IENRY HASPER.

said indicator being 

